The Future Pan
by deafgirl22
Summary: An alternate timeline story where Future Trunks meets Future Pan.
1. Chapter 1

He jumped out of the yellow time machine and pressed the button to fold it into a capsule. Placing it safely in his capsule box then returning it to his inside coat pocket, he turned and scanned the area. It looked like home but it didn't feel like home. "_I suppose one doesn't really ever become_ _comfortable with time travel_." he thought to himself as he started climbing the hillside leading into the West City where Capsule Corporation would be located.

As he made it to the very top, he stopped so he could once again scan the area. The landscape was the same yet it felt foreign to him. Still, it was good to be home. It was good to have his feet on the ground. Before he could ponder it any longer, he felt an energy, a strong one... impressive actually. He heard a motorcycle engine getting louder indicating it was coming toward him. He only had to wait a few seconds before he saw the rider. It was a woman, dressed in black and brown vertically striped pants with heavy, black combat boots. She wore a black tank shirt with gun holsters fastened below her chest, around her hips, and around the thigh of her right leg. She wore goggles that reminded Trunks of what people wore around the time they invented automobiles; round, thick glasses with leather straps. Her coal black hair was divided into two very long, shiny braids. Her arms were muscular, Trunks noticed and, to his surprise, admired, even though they were covered up to her biceps by long, fingerless gloves. "_Who is this?" _Trunks wondered.

She rode to a few feet from him before she lay the motorcycle down on the ground while jumping off so she could run to him. She threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Trunks stood there, dumbfounded and shocked. He couldn't respond to her embrace or kiss, yet he couldn't move away from her either. Her hair was soft and she smelled like the gardenias from his grandmother's garden in the alternate time where he had first time travelled. He wouldn't allow himself to actually feel her embrace let alone her kiss. He was simply stunned.

She realized finally that Trunks was not responding to her. She broke away from him and searched his face. "Trunks," she spoke in a quiet, concerned voice. "Are you okay? Where have you been? Are you hurt?" She stepped back and looked him over then met his eyes again.

"You know me?" Trunk asked her increduously. His eyes widened in disbelief. She smiled at him as if he were joking.

"No, I do not know, you. I greet everyone that way." She laughed. Her voice was mesmerizing to him. She swatted his arm. "Of course, silly. You have been gone away so long that you have forgotten all about me, then?" She smiled at him showing how wide her lips and how white her teeth were. Trunks was confused. He'd never met this woman before in his life, that much he knew for sure and yet, he was attracted to her. He noticed every detail about her and was entranced by her. He had never felt this way about anyone, ever.

The longer he stood staring at her, without answering her, the more concerned she became. Slowly her smile receded, hiding her teeth first, then eventually disappearing from her face altogether. It seemed ages that they stood there, on top of that hill, just staring at each other... but in reality, it was only a few minutes. She finally sighed and glanced at her motorcycle. She walked over and heaved it upright in order to put the kickstand down. She busily dusted it off, sneaking glances at him, not understanding what had happened to him or why he wasn't talking to her. When she could take it no longer, she turned and put her hands on her hips. Trunks thought at first she might be drawing a weapon. But then he realized that she had the same stance that Bulma or Chi Chi would take when they were about to yell at their spouses.

"So tell me, I demand to know," she began obviously trying to keep the panic out of her voice, "Trunks, what is going on? What is your problem? Where have you been AND what HAPPENED?"

"_Wow!" _he thought, _"I don't know her but I really, really think I want to know her." _He stood there lamenting the fact that he hadn't repsonded to her when she said hello to him. He began to imagine her doing it again and this time what he would have done differently, mainly returning her kiss.

"Hey!" she yelled and snapped her fingers at him breaking his trance. "Are you even listening to me?" Now anger dripped a little over each of her words and believe it or not... he still felt smitten_. "What is happening to me?" _Trunks thought feeling uneasy. She would have done a better job getting an answer had she pulled a weapon out, that he could have handled. This, he could not.

"I'm sorry.." he began lifting both hands up the way he had seen Goku do many times when trying to calm Chi Chi down. "I don't know you, I've never met you before in my life. But please, you have to believe me when I say that I DO want to get to know you." His cheeks flushed pink, "I do."

At this, she burst out laughing. "Oh no, you poor, poor man! I am so sorry that I didn't see it before you are obviously Trunks but you are not MY Trunks!" Trunks who was struggling to maintain his disposition with her, at once became focused on the matter at hand. Now it all made sense to him. "Of course!" He quickly agreed, "I thought this place seemed foreign to me yet it is home. Well that explains that." He glanced around but quickly found himself looking back to her not wanting to see anything else. "So where am I? What year is it and how do we know each other?"

She grinned at him and straddled her bike. "Come, let's get you home and then we can talk." She reved her engine and glanced at him slyly.. "So would you like a ride or shall we race?" Trunks felt an energy surge through his body. He was turned on by her and there was no way he was going to ride behind her feeling that way. "Race!" He said immediately and took flight in the air toward the city. The mystery woman spun her back tire and lurched forward. "It's ON!" She yelled, knowing full well that he didn't hear her and that she would lose the race.

Trunks was anxious to see Capsule Corporation. The state of it would give him an idea as to which timeline he was in or if he was in a new timeline._ "It's possible the date on the time machine was messed up; although I'm sure I checked it." _He thought to himself as he raced through the sky.

As he cleared through some clouds, Trunks looked down and saw the headquarters and parts of the Atrium. He swerved around in time to see his mother, Bulma and Gohan's wife, Videl waving to him from the balcony. He smiled and waved in return, slowing down so he could land on the balcony. He glanced around, pleased that the mystery woman did not get ahead of him.

"Trunks! You're home!" exclaimed Bulma hugging him as he blushed and smiled at Videl who also greeted him. "Welcome home, Trunks. We've all missed you." Videl added patting his arm.

"Yeah, about that..." Trunks began but was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle sliding to a stop. "I wasn't too far behind!" the young woman called as she put the stand down and angled her bike into park. Then she flew up to the balcony and landed gracefully in front of them. Trunks narrowed his eyes at her beginning to fear the worst.

Bulma laughed, "Let me guess, you two raced here, didn't you?" Videl smiled at Trunks then put her arm around him, "Pan knew you were back, she immediately sensed your return. I've never seen her move so fast!" Bulma agreed, "She started to fly off then decided to grab her bike since she didn't know what kind of condition you'd be in..." at that the three women looked down and then shyly at him and then each other.

_"PAN!"_ Trunks was horrified. _"OH NO! No! No! no! no!" _ His mind was screaming. It couldn't be possible. In fact, this was absolutely impossible. "Definitely a completely different timeline." Trunks muttered under his breath wryly. Pan heard him and smiled sadly. "Uh, Mom, Bulma, this isn't our Trunks." Bulma looked from Trunks to Pan, "What do mean? It certainly looks like our Trunks." "Give her a chance to explain, Bulma." said Videl. "Here, why don't we all sit down." She pulled out a chair and motioned for Trunks to sit down. He didn't want to sit down. He wanted to collect the information he needed concerning the time and date so he could get in his time machine and get back to reality. His reality. The one where Pan is just a child; Goku's granddaughter; Gohan's daughter. He didn't want Pan to be some enchanting, young woman that he wanted to embrace and kiss and smell her hair again. He remained standing.

"He didn't know me." Pan blurted out. "He had no idea! NONE! That's what I mean." Bulma and Videl gasped. They both stared at Trunks. "Well..." Videl asked cautiously, "do you know who we are, then?" Bulma sat down in a chair and waved her hand as if swatting a fly away from her. "Of course he knows his mother!" Videl turned to Bulma and quietly sat down next to her. The three women were silent for a moment. Finally, Bulma looked up at him with a grin. "Are you hungry?" Trunks grinned back at her. "Always." he answered.

Bulma and Trunks headed toward the kitchen leaving Pan and Videl on the balcony. They both understood that Bulma wanted to speak to her son, whichever timeline he came from, she considered him to be her son.

"So, what's going on in your reality?" She asked casually with a smile as she began pulling ingredients from the refrigerator. Trunks loved this about his Mom. No matter what the situation was, she always found a way to remain calm and easygoing. "I was returning home from New Planet Vegeta." Bulma gasped. "What? Are you kidding me? There's a new planet Vegeta?" Trunks smiled as he took a bite from the plate of food she placed before him. "Not quite." he chuckled. "It was a ploy to destroy my father. Long story. Another time?" Bulma nodded her head in agreement. She wiped down the counter and poured herself something hot to drink. As she sat down beside him, she sighed. "I hope my Trunks is okay." Trunks reached out and touched her hand. "I'm sure he is." He smiled. She smiled back at him.

Bulma studied him for a minute. "I bet you are wondering all about us." Trunks nodded. "Okay," Bulma drew a deep breath and began. "Goku died of a heart disease. The sad thing about it is, the medicine that could have saved him was developed just a few years later. Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillen, and your father, Vegeta, were all destroyed..." "By the androids," Trunks interrupted her. "I travelled back through time and delivered the medicine myself." Bulma shrugged her shoulders and continued to tell him what happened. "A few years later, an alien named, Frieza, showed up and proceeded to take over the planet." Trunks froze. "How is THAT even possible. The androids would have easily destroyed Frieza! Nevermind that he was already destroyed BEFORE the androids came here." Bulma looked at him quizzically. Before she could answer, Trunks stood up. "I'm sorry. I really am. But this..." he shook his head, "this is messed up... this is crazy. I'm sorry. I have to go." Bulma jumped up and approached him. "Oh Trunks! I'm sorry too. Of course, I understand. I really do." She hugged him tightly and then let him go.

He rushed out the door and propelled himself to the sky, heading out of town. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't sense he was not alone. _"Pan and I are together? Frieza came to earth and overtook the androids? Goku, my father, everyone is dead?"_ Trunks couldn't believe any of it. As he landed, he reached into his pocket to pull out his time machine capsule. "You're leaving without saying good bye to me?" Trunks spun around and came face to face with Pan. "I have to go." He simply stated. "Fine, then go." Pan said flippantly. She crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air. Trunks chuckled, "_There's the girl I know_." he thought to himself ruefully. He pushed the capsule button and threw it. As the time machine appeared, he started toward it, feeling a sense of relief to be gone from this timeline.

"Wait!" Pan ran to him. "Wait, please!" She grabbed his arm. "Please, I just want to talk to you. I know you're freaked out about the Freiza thing and I know I'm being selfish here but I just really, want to just... talk." Pan gulped. "I miss you so much."

Trunks sucked in his breath. "I'm not him."

"I know, I know... I know that. I just... I miss _him_, okay. I know." she began again.

"How are the two of you even together? I'm repulsed actually, the age difference alone, not to mention you're a child, you... it's wrong...no matter how you look at it... it's wrong."

Pan looked at him in disbelief. Big tears formed in her eyes. "How could you say that to me? She stuttered, "You, you, you, you LOVE me!' She glared at him.

"I'm sure I do." He answered quietly. Pan raised her eyebrows at him and took a deep breath. She tried again. "You and my father were best friends. He trained you and me, together." Pan started to explain.

Trunks held up a hand to her. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Fine then go!" Pan spit at him. "_My_ Trunks would have offered to help. _My _Trunks is a good guy, strong, brave and not afraid of anything."

Trunks knew he should ignore her. He knew she was goading him. He knew the best way to handle this situation was to leave... yet he didn't have the strength to let that biting comment go. "I am a good guy." He corrected her.

She smiled victoriously, "Oh, are you now?" she sang to him. Trunks rolled his eyes. "I suppose you are strong and brave too." she teased. Trunks smirked at her. "So I've been told by a few..." Pan laughed._ "I love it when she laughs."_ he thought to himself. "And helpful too, then?" Pan asked innocently. Trunks knew he was defeated right then and there. He ran his hands through his long lavendar hair and hugged the back of his neck for a second asked her quietly. "How may I help you?"

She walked over to a fallen log and sat down, patting the spot beside her. He politely joined her. "He left a little over a year ago. Have you ever heard of a Dr. Gero?" Trunks nodded. "Well, Frieza hunted him down. He wanted his laboratory and all of his work. Bulma was scared to death that Capsule Corporation would be next."

"And was it?" Trunks asked her, now wanting to know more. Pan shook her head. "No, it was really strange. Frieza took Dr. Gero, all the androids, his army... everything and left the planet. Just like that; without a fight." Trunks noticed the way her eyebrows knitted together as she told him the story. He also couldn't help but to notice that she still smelled like gardenias. "My father anticipated Frieza's return with an android army. And sure enough, just a couple of years later, he did." Trunks eyes widened. "What happened then?"

Pan stood up and faced him. "We fought. My father was killed and you destroyed Frieza. The bulk of the androids escaped though and that's where you went.. after them. It's been over a year now. I wanted to go with you but you made me promise to stay here to protect Earth. Where are you?" Pan choked back her tears. Trunks rushed to her and pulled her to him. "It's okay, Pan." he whispered soothingly in her ear, feeling terrible that he was enjoying her embrace even though it was clearly not for him to enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

"What exactly are you looking for? I mean, where are we going?" Pan asked Trunks. Trunks was becoming more frustrated the longer they were in flight. He didn't respond to either of Pan's questions. She was in awe of his speed. His power level was significantly higher than her Trunks. She didn't want him to think she couldn't keep up so she focused on staying right with him. He was so much like the Trunks she knew. In some ways, he was better, stronger and wiser. She felt guilty for thinking this but it wasn't her nature to use denial. Maybe he was older, she didn't know. What she did know, he impressed her in more ways than one.

"Impossible." Trunks muttered scanning the area, obviously searching for something specific. With a heavy sigh, he dropped down and landed in a field. Pan followed. "What is it? What's impossible? What are you looking for?" Trunks clenched his fists and growled at the ground. "Stop with the cross examination for a minute, please. I need to think." Pan shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever, just trying to be helpful here." She gazed away from him as if studying something in the distance.

Trunks finally stood straight. "You said Gohan trained us. Did he ever take us to the Kame House or to the Lookout?" Pan looked at him thoughtfully, "No, I've never even heard of those places. Where are they? Is that what you were looking for then?" Trunks nodded. "They don't exist here. I've looked everywhere. I'm not sure what this means." Pan imitated Trunks in his stance and scanned the horizon too. Feeling unsure of what to say or how to help, she settled on suggesting, "Shall we head back home?" She did not like seeing him upset. Trunks amended, "Well if you mean back to your home, then yes; to get to my home would be more of a journey." Pan turned to him. "Then you don't think of this place as your home?" Trunks saw from the corner of his eye how she looked at him longingly. It was written all over her face that she wanted him to say yes to that question. A part of him, a part that he was fighting with more and more the longer he stayed with her, wanted to say yes. But he couldn't. He sighed. "I'm not him, Pan. I'm not your Trunks." Pan looked down at her feet. "I know."

Once back at Capsule Corporation, Bulma took Trunks down to her laboratory to use her digital maps. "I don't understand this timeline." He confessed to her. "Frieza's demise happened BEFORE the androids came to earth. I killed him myself." Bulma smiled. "Well, you killed him in this timeline too, just under different circumstances." Trunks grinned and then contemplated, "What changed? If I could figure out the answer to that, I would know where to begin to look for your Trunks." He studied the maps for several hours then decided to get some rest. He knew exactly where the Lookout and the Kame House should have been and they were not there. _"I really need Dende or Master Roshi right now, to help me decipher this mess. Wait a minute. Why is it a mess? There's no villian here, planet Earth is safe. Maybe Trunks defeated the Android Army and just hasn't returned yet. Maybe I'm just delaying the inevitable. I stayed here to help Pan do what exactly? Choose between me and... me?" _Trunks groaned and placed the pillow over his head. _I knew I should have jumped into the time machine when I had the chance._

The next morning, he awoke to Pan sitting beside the bed with her feet propped up, patiently waiting on him. "I have an idea." she said happily, very pleased with herself. Trunks rubbed his eyes, sat up and spoke to her "Good morning to you." He yawned and stretched his arms. He glanced at her and saw that she was admiring his toned torso. He quickly reached for a shirt. "How about I meet you down in the kitchen." He offered and stood up. Pan stood as well, "I think you should return to YOUR time to speak with those you are looking for... maybe they can help even though they are not of this reality." Trunks stopped and looked at her, "That's actually a pretty good idea, Pan." She smiled brightly at him. "Yeah?" She was thrilled that he thought so. She stepped closer to him. He walked over to the door and held it open for her, "We'll discuss this more over breakfast. Give me a few minutes okay." Pan practically skipped out of the room. "Okay! I'll be waiting!" She promised enthusiastically. _"This is perfect!" _Trunks mentally cheered. "_I can leave without causing any problems and hopefully Trunks will return soon. He can return to Pan and they can resume their..." _Trunks remembered how happy Pan was when he arrived. He remembered how she greeted him. He remembered her passionate kiss, the way her body felt against his, the way she smelled. He hurried up and headed to the kitchen feeling torn. He wanted to leave now but he also wanted to be with her, right or wrong, he really wanted her.

Bulma and Videl stood with Trunks on the other side of the Atrium in a clearing. Trunks was getting ready to release his time machine's capsule. "I can't believe you invented a time machine!" Videl said to Bulma. "I can!" Bulma laughed at her. "I'm not just beautiful, I'm brillant too, you know!" She gushed and then winked at Trunks, who blushed slightly. His mom was always his mom. He admired her confidence and knew that was one of the reasons his father had chosesn to be with her, along with the beauty and the brillance. Pan and Trunks had shared her idea with the two older ladies at breakfast. Both agreed that it would be a good idea. "I just feel like something's wrong."confided Bulma. "Call it maternal instinct." Hearing Bulma say this made Trunks change his mind. He was now determined to find this other Trunks, not just for Pan, but for Bulma as well.

The machine was powered up and ready to go. Trunks gave Bulma a minute to study her invention. "Is Gohan alive in your time, Trunks?" Videl asked him. "Yes and no." He answered. Videl laughed. "Of course, it's never simple is it?" Trunks smiled at her. "Never." He then told her a little bit about his best friend, Gohan, the one who had trained him to fight Androids 17 & 18 when he was just a teenager. He proudly told her how Gohan had lost an arm protecting him but was still powerful enough to hold his own. Videl's face beamed in admiration. "That's my Gohan." She was about to ask him about the other Gohan when Pan landed with a thud behind them. She had her backpack and held out her motorcycle keys to her mom. "Will you hold on to these for me?" Trunks narrowed his eyes at her, "Where do you think you're going?" he asked in a stern voice. Videl and Bulma looked at him with surprise. "With you." Pan said casually, ignoring his condescending attitude toward her. Trunks shook his head and stepped back. "No, absolutely not." He pointed to the time machine. "There's no room for you in that anyway." Pan took no notice of Trunks. She hugged her mom and then reached for Bulma. "Hopefully when I come back, we'll have answers." she said to both of them. Videl and Bulma both nodded and then put their arms around each other, waiting to see if Trunks was going to allow Pan to journey with him or not.

Trunks stood by his machine with his arms crossed. "No means no, Pan. And that is final." Pan brushed past him and shoved her backpack into his chest. "Might want to store that in a compartment or something." Trunks threw the backpack on the ground. "You aren't listening to me." he growled. Pan turned to him and put her nose right up to his. "YOU aren't listening to ME." she growled back. "We're wasting TIME! Let's go already!" With that she opened the glass hatch and swooped up inside. "I made the mistake of staying behind the first time. I won't make the same mistake twice." Trunks stared at her hard, trying to decide the best course of action. He wanted to throw her across his knee and spank her for behaving like a brat... as soon as he thought it, he wished he hadn't. Bulma noticed his red face and the change in his expression. She giggled. Trunks looked unhappily at her. "Be safe!" Bulma called to him and waved. Defeated, Trunks flew up to the pilot seat then closed the hatch.

Pan had squished herself between the seat and the console the best she could. Trunks frowned at her. "When we get going, you can share this seat with me." Pan felt insulted by his disdain. "I'm fine." She retorted. "It won't take long anyway, right? It'll be like a zap and we're there?" Trunks smiled at her assumption, "Not quite." They gave the ladies a final wave and they were gone. Videl looked at Bulma, "How do you think this is going to work out?" Bulma slowly moved her head from side to side, smiling. "I have no idea."

Pan was cramped. Her knees were starting to hurt at being crouched so low, but she refused to show it. After Trunks was finished setting all the coordinates, he sat back in the seat and offered her part of it. "No thank you." Pan said hotly. "I'm not giving you a choice." Trunks grabbed her arm and pulled her up to the seat. Although she was annoyed with him, it excited her to feel his strength and to be that close to him. She was still feeling miffed at his inital reaction to her accompanying him. "You don't like me much, do you?" Pan asked. This question caught Trunks off guard. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh please, I can see the look of contempt on your face." Pan rolled her eyes and tried to shift away from him. "Contempt would be the last thing I would ever feel for you." He answered her evenly, this time, he caught her off guard. She inhaled and the tightness of the new air pushed on her lungs. When she released the excess air slowly to ease the pain, her breath felt enticing to Trunks, who was struggling with the urge to kiss her. "You didn't want me to come." Pan stated. She waited for Trunks to respond. He didn't.

After a few long awkward minutes, Trunk sighed, "Look, I usually nap during this travel so I know it's not the best arrangement but if I put my arm around you and you put your legs over mine, we just might have a little more room here." He moved his right arm across the top of the seat while she wiggled down toward him and placed her legs carefully over his, hoping her heavy combat boots didn't scrape him. As soon as she settled in, Trunks realized this was a huge mistake. He had been dreaming about holding her again and suddenly there she was in his arms. He felt panic at the thought of not being able to distance himself from her. As he tried to reason with himself, he felt her press her head into his shoulder and the scent of her beautiful black hair drifted up into his mind... he sat there, feeling helpless and scared and very much awake.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, the time machine didn't work?" Pan was confused; to her it looked like they were right back where they started. Trunks smiled. "It's your first time time travelling so it would feel that way. But if you stand here and take a moment, your other senses will tell you that you are not home. Don't always rely on what you see." Pan nodded that she understood. She scanned the horizon trying to do what Trunks suggested.

After Trunks put his machine's capsule in his jacket pocket, he pointed out the direction that he wanted to go. Pan was confused again. "Wait! Why aren't we headed to the Capsule Corporation?" Trunks wasn't waiting on her so she quickly followed him. "I want to see if Goku is around first." Trunks answered without looking back to her. "Wouldn't it be easier to fly there?" Pan suggested after she stumbled trying to keep up with him. "Why are you walking so fast? Are trying to lose me?" Pan said half seriously and half jokingly.

Trunks stopped and thought about it. Truthfully, this would be easier to do without her there. "I'm not sure it would be a good idea to let people know you are with me or know exactly who you are. I hope you understand. We don't want to alter this timeline." Missing the subtle point, Pan felt herself getting excited. "Will I see my Dad again? Won't Grandpa know who I am? And Grandma, Mom, and Bulma? Do you think it's possible my Trunks could be here too?" Trunks studied her face before he answered_. "She's beautiful,_ _so very beautiful_._"_ he thought to himself. He inwardly winced at her saying "my Trunks" because it wasn't him and he wanted it to be him. "If Trunks is here, he's only a baby." Pan pursed her lips as she was thinking about Trunks just being a little baby. "How exactly can he be here while you are here too?" Trunks smiled at her, "Not my timeline." while he thought " _And your lips look so kissable right now_." They started walking together towards Goku's home.

Once in the clearing, Pan looked down at the single hut. "Wow! It is so small and where is my parent's house?" She then snapped her fingers, "Ah, hasn't happened yet! Right?" answering her own question. She smiled at Trunks who nodded in agreement. "So my parents aren't married yet either." Trunks nodded again. "This is weird." Pan sighed. Trunks chuckled. "Very weird." he agreed. He then frowned. He couldn't sense Goku or Gohan. He checked his watch. They were at Kami's Lookout training in preparation for the androids. He was supposed to be in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber training with his father right now. _"This is getting to be a little nuts." _he thought to himself. "Okay, here's what we are going to do. We'll go down and I'll introduce you to Chi Chi. You stay and visit her while I head to the Lookout." Pan disagreed. "Uh, how about, no. I go where you go." Trunks scowled at her. "It would be easier if I could go alone." Pan grinned. "And you ARE prone to doing things the easy way, huh?" Trunks drew in a big breath and tried not to let her get the best of him. She certainly knew which buttons to push. "You're annoying sometimes, just so you know." He yielded to her. She laughed at getting her own way. "I know." They both took to the sky heading toward the Lookout.

Pan loved looking all around. She flew back and forth and every which way while Trunks maintained a straight path. "It looks the same yet it feels different here." she called out to him. Trunks beamed. He was impressed by the fact that Pan was a quick learner. Just awhile ago, she had been confused as to where they were. He only explained one time and she already understood_. "Smart and beautiful. My counterpart has good taste in women." _ He wondered if Gohan and Videl had survived, would he have ended up with the Pan of his timeline. Trunks was still slightly disturbed that he could be involved with someone so much younger than he is. But after talking with this Pan, it seemed as though all they had during the bad times were each other, so it made sense. He did have an idea of where her Trunks could be and really hoped that he was wrong. While he was doing so much hoping; he also hoped that Kami and Goku could help him help her. The Lookout came into their view. "Wow! Is that it?" Pan exclaimed in awe. Trunks smiled at her, "Welcome to Kami's Lookout, also known as Korin's Tower. We fly straight up to the very top! I'll race you!"


	4. Chapter 4

Trunks could feel everyone's energy. He was excited and he could only imagine how Pan was feeling at this moment. She was going to be shocked that her Dad was younger than she, and as far as he knew, she'd never met Goku. He was a little leery about her meeting Vegeta but his father was who he was and Trunks wasn't going to make any apologies for him. He noticed Pan hung back from him, not so much as to let him win the race, more likely she was nervous. He turned around and offered a hand to her. She shook her head from side to side and focused in front of her. He understood.

Trunks landed on the edge of the Lookout. Everyone was there all right. They didn't seemed surprised to see him though. They were expecting him. Goku and Vegeta were discussing who should go into the time chamber first. Goku was being polite about it. "You and Trunks can go in first, Vegeta." Vegeta sneered at Goku, "Naturally, we will go first, Kakarot. Don't even think I'm about to let you get the upper hand by training longer or harder than I do." Goku just rolled his eyes. Vegeta turned, "Let's go Trunks." Trunks ran his hand through his hair and left his palm on top of his head. "Um, I need to speak with Goku and Kami first." Vegeta turned and glared at him. "What ever for?" he demanded. By now, everyone had noticed the pretty young woman standing quietly and slightly behind Trunks. Yamcha, Krillen and Tien looked at each other and grinned. Piccolo and Gohan looked at each other. They both noticed the weapons on her thigh, hip and chest as well as her power level. Goku studied the girl and then smiled at Trunks. "Sure, let's go inside where we can talk." The four of them started to walk away. "Hold up." Vegeta began to protest. "I demand whatever you have to say be said amongst all of us." Goku and Trunks looked at each other. Goku shrugged his shoulders, "Totally up to you." Trunks hesitated and glanced at Pan. She was beaming at Goku with tears in her eyes. Goku was grinning back at her. Trunks then looked at Gohan, who was obviously curious but being respectful.

"My friend is looking for someone." Trunks began. Vegeta scoffed and began to walk away, "Hire a detective then, we have training to do." Trunks sighed and tried again. "She's looking for me." At that, everyone snickered. "Well, um, I don't mean to point out the obvious, but it looks like she found you." offered Gohan with a laugh and the others joined in which annoyed Pan. "He is not the Trunks from my timeline. My Trunks went off to battle the androids and hasn't returned." At that everyone became somber because the coming of the androids was precisely the reason they were all training. "So, you're from another timeline, just like Trunks here, huh?" Now Goku cheerfully beamed at Pan. She smiled widely back at him, "Mmm-hmm." she agreed. Goku looked at Trunks then, "How can we help?"

Trunks and Pan explained everything except Pan's identity. For some reason, Trunks suspected Goku knew who she was though, just by the way he reacted to her. Behind them, Vegeta was impatient. "Just how many timelines are there?" Vegeta growled at Kami. Kami took the question seriously but gave him a lighthearted answer, "Could be too numerous to count for all I know. You look very tired though," Kami turned back and acknowledged Pan, "Mr. Popo will take you inside so you can get something to eat and rest." Pan looked at Trunks who nodded for her to go with Mr. Popo. "You won't leave without me?" she asked, hesitant to go without him. "I will be here." Trunks reassured her. Vegeta raised his eyebrows. The others grinned amongst themselves knowingly. After Pan and Mr. Popo had left, Vegeta confronted Trunks, "So is this pathetic human being your future wife or something? You seriously should have gotten back into your time machine and left well enough alone, you fool." Trunks looked down at his feet. He knew his father spoke the truth. There would be nothing but heartache and trouble for him by helping Pan. But still, he had to help her. He wanted to help her. Actually, he wanted her.

He raised his head in defiance. "My mother raised me to help people whenever I could." Vegeta smirked at him. "Very well. Just don't expect my help. I have more important things to do." With that, he stalked away heading toward the training area. Everyone else gathered around. "Wow, who is she?" Yamcha wanted to know. "She's nice looking isn't she?" Krillen added. "I like her." Gohan simply said. Trunks chuckled at this. "Does she have a name?" Tien asked. Trunks nodded, "I feel the less you know the better it will be for this timeline." They understood. "How do you know Trunks is missing and just hasn't returned yet?" Piccolo asked him. "I had the same thought initially but Pan is convinced something is wrong." Trunks explained. He then turned to Kami and asked hopefully, "Kami, I was wondering if you have the ability to sense others from alternate realities?" Kami shook his head sadly at Trunk's suggestion. "I can only sense their energies once they've entered ours, I'm so sorry. I hope that wasn't your only plan in coming here." Trunks eyed Goku who was patiently waiting. "No it wasn't. I was hoping that perhaps Goku could contact King Kai for help or at the very least use instant transmission." Goku grinned and quipped, "No problem!" as if he already knew what Trunks had in mind. He put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared. Trunks let out a sigh of relief. The others smiled and punched his arm in a friendly way then went back to their training. Trunks decided to head inside and check on Pan.

Mr. Popo pointed out the direction of Pan's room. "She eats just like you, your father, Goku and Gohan." he joked. Trunks smiled. "I bet she does." Trunks found her room and knocked lightly then opened the door. She was in bed sleeping. Trunks walked over to the chair beside the bed and sat down. He was tired from what seemed like an endless day. So many emotions ran through him while he sat there staring at her. He wanted to crawl in beside her, wrap his arms around her and inhale her scent and maybe do more. A part of him knew she'd probably allow it. But he also knew it was because she was missing the one she loved... not him. He closed his eyes and thought ruefully, _"This is absurd, I'm in competition with myself."_ He opened his eyes and focused on her lips slightly parted to allow her sleepy breaths to escape her mouth. For the hundredth time it seemed, he recalled how she had kissed him when he arrived in her time. How she ran to him and threw her arms around him and just kissed him unabashedly. He wished now he would have enjoyed that moment for all it was worth. He thought of how she felt being in his arms on his lap in the time machine. It had taken all of his willpower to not inappropriately touch her or hold her closer. It was amazing to him that she was adamant about joining him. She had no fear going into the unknown. She was strong; stronger than any other woman he had ever met and that included Android 18.

He glanced over at her weapons and boots carefully placed on a nearby table. She is a fighter. She is smart and adventurous. She is also breathtakingly beautiful. She was also part Saiyan like himself. He looked back at her with realization. She is perfect for him! He wondered when his counterpart had discovered this. Had it troubled him as well? Was he thinking about her right this very moment? Trunks knew if anyone could find Pan's Trunks, it would be Goku. The couple could be reunited and live happily ever after... _"Except for me."_ thought Trunks _"There is no Pan in my reality."_ Trunks was so engrossed in his mental turmoil, he didn't realize that Kami had entered the room. "Rather than sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, you could go and train with the others." Kami suggested startling Trunks out of his deep thoughts. They both looked at Pan. "I promised her I'd be here." Trunks began, not really wanting to leave her. "I'll send for you when she awakens." Kami assured him. Trunks stood up and raised his hands in defeat. "You're right, Kami." He started out the door realizing he did feel like pounding the crap out of someone. He registered just then what Kami had done for him. He turned around, "Thanks Kami."

Trunks found Vegeta who was in full force training mode. "Come for a beating, have you?" Vegeta goaded. Trunks grinned. "More like give a beating." He did a few warm up stretches while his father stood there and smirked at him. "Bring it on."

Several hours later, the two sweaty men descended upon the Lookout's kitchen. "Who is she?" Vegeta asked in between bites. "Why is she so important to you?" Trunks cautiously confided in him, unsure of how Vegeta would react to this situation. When he finished, both men sat back in their chairs and crossed their arms looking away from each other. After a period of awkward silence, Vegeta finally spoke, "I suppose it's because you're half human that you would have their weak tendencies. I say if you want her, take her. If the other guy was foolish enough to abandon her, his loss, his problem." Trunks couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Even if the other guy is ME? And he didn't just abandon her. He left her to protect Earth while he chased the androids." Vegeta shrugged. "Enough of your stupid lovelorn idiocracy. Those androids are coming here and I must become stronger than Kakarot to defeat them. I alone will destroy them." With that he stood up and stomped off, leaving a perplexed Trunks behind.

"He's right you know." Trunks looked up in surprise. Yamcha sat down and began to eat. "Vegeta takes what he wants. If he didn't, you wouldn't be here." Trunks grimaced at that. He liked Yamcha and knew that he still carried a torch for his mother and probably always would. He also knew that when his father abandoned his mother in his timeline, it was Yamcha who had stepped up to help her until his demise. Yamcha in any timeline had his respect and friendship. "Do you know who she is?" Trunks asked him. Yamcha smiled, "Sorry man, I kind of overheard what you were telling Vegeta. So Gohan's gonna be a Dad someday, weird." Trunks silently agreed. Yamcha added with food in his mouth, "So Vegeta's son and Goku's granddaughter... sounds like a peace treaty to me. Man is she hot!" Trunks raised his eyebrows and looked away from him.

Trunks stood up, "I'm gonna go..." Yamcha interrupted and shooed him away, "Go man, go, don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Won't tell a soul." Trunks lamely chuckled, "gonna go ...check on her." he finished knowing that Yamcha wasn't really listening to him. "I'm just going to go. Yeah, uh, later." He hurried out of the kitchen leaving Yamcha to his food and memories. He stopped and listened outside Pan's door. He knocked lightly and then opened the door thinking she'd still be asleep. "Hi, where have you been?" Pan asked. She was putting fresh clothes on that Kami had given to her. Trunks watched as she slid pants over her hips and fastened them. She smoothed her shirt and turned toward him. "How do I look?"

The voices of Vegeta and Yamcha filled his head but were quickly crowded out by her standing there, looking at him expectantly, and his incredible need to be with her. Trunks crossed the room in less than three steps, mentally willing himself to stop but being unable to do so. He roughly embraced her and crushed his lips down upon hers.


	5. Chapter 5

Trunks was losing himself in her. Her breath, her scent, even her taste... he didn't think he was ever going to be able to let her go. He happily realized that she was responding to him. Her arms were locked around him as if to keep him from leaving. Her lips were hungrily pushing his. Trunks had never known such happiness and love like this. All of his life, he has dealt with pain and loss, devastation... with Pan all those emotions seem to melt away. The world seemed right. He couldn't get enough of her.

"Trunks!" Goku had used instant transmission and was now standing behind the passionate couple. Upon hearing him, they immediately parted and stepped away from each other, blushing. Goku looked sternly at Trunks and grabbed his arm with one hand and used his other hand to do instant transmission. "Wait!" shouted Pan. Then suddenly, Trunks and Goku disappeared from her room.

"Where are we?" asked Trunks. "King Kai's place." answered Goku, looking around. Trunks felt so heavy and looked over at Goku to see if he felt it. Goku saw Trunk's look out of the corner of his eye, "The gravity here is higher than what you are used to, don't worry. It'll only make you stronger." he explained without looking at him. Suddenly, they were joined by a little blue alien wearing black circle sunglasses who greeted them cheerfully. "Goku! Trunks! All right, let's get down to business now that you're here." Goku nodded once in agreement. Trunks looked questioningly at King Kai and Goku.

"Time is messed up, big time! Get it?" King Kai cackled. Goku chuckled and Trunks winced. "It seems your MOM messed up the timelines with her time machine. So you're going to have to hand that over to me." King Kai held out his hand expectantly. Trunks took a step backwards. "I don't think so. Not until you explain to me what's going on." he then turned to Goku, "You were supposed to be looking for Pan's Trunks!" Goku narrowed his eyes at Trunks and for a brief second, Trunks was a little leery. "Give us a chance to explain, Trunks, I promise you, we're going to fix everything." Goku put his hand on Trunks' shoulder and held out his other one, "Give me the time machine capsule." Trunks was still hesitant to do so. "What about Pan? This isn't her timeline! How will she return to her life if we destroy the machine?" Goku smiled at him. "No one said anything about destroying it, we need to use it."

Trunks handed over the tiny capsule to Goku, who in turn handed it to King Kai who swallowed it, so it seemed. "What? Ugh! Why did you do that!" Trunks protested. King Kai laughed and opened his palm to reveal the little capsule. "You need to lighten up young fellow." He laughed again. He threw the capsule and the time machine appeared. Goku stepped toward it. "No," Trunks held Goku back. "I'll go and then you can instant transmission to where I am." Goku nodded in agreement. Trunks turned to King Kai, "Where exactly am I going?" King Kai walked over to the machine inspecting it. "Home" he simply answered. Trunks was unsure of this whole thing. They weren't giving him the whole picture. "I think before we set out you need to fill me in on everything. What's going on?" King Kai looked at Trunks, "Absolutely, it's tea time anyway."

Back in the room, Pan threw herself on the bed in frustration. _"Ugh! What just happened?"_ she thought to herself. She closed her eyes and relived the past half hour. Kami had knocked on her door and given her a gi to put on so she could train as well. How he knew she was a fighter, she didn't know. She was sure that Trunks kept her identity a secret. Then no sooner had she finished changing, Trunks had come in... she smiled as she thought about how passionately he embraced her; how urgent his kiss was... she didn't want it to end. Trunks was so intense, so mysterious. She loved that about him. She did feel guilty though, the more she was around him the less she thought of her Trunks. This realization made her sad and angry. Where was he? Why had he abandoned her? She let out a deep breath and stood up. She may as well go out and train with the others. That way she could think of something else. Besides it would be interesting to spend some time with her father who was merely a teenager. Pan giggled. "_If he only knew."_ she thought as she hurried out the door.

"So do you have a name?" Gohan asked. Pan nodded. "You can call me, Pan." She smiled at him. It was hard to refrain from hugging him. He looked exactly the same just younger. "I'm Gohan. This is Piccolo. Over there sparring is Tien and Yamcha. And that's Krillen over there." He pointed out the lone figure smoothly performing a kata. "So you have experience training?" Gohan asked her. "Yep, I sure do! I was trained by the best!" She grinned. _"You!"_ she thought happily to herself. "Wow!" Gohan grinned back at her. "Sounds impressive! Let's see what you've got!" So Pan followed Gohan, happy that she was going to be training with her Dad again, even if it was a different version of him.

"No way!" Trunks slammed his fist down on the table. "I killed Cell. I know I did. He was coming to kill me. I waited. I turned around and confronted him before he could kill me!" King Kai nodded patiently. "The second time, Trunks. Keep up! The first time, Cell did indeed kill you. And that's what happened to Pan's Trunks." Trunks' stomach felt hollow. He had already suspected that hadn't he? All along he kept thinking of that moment. Somehow he just knew. Poor Pan. She was going to be devastated. She was probably going to hate him too, for taking advantage of her. Her lips were so soft yet so strong... King Kai snapped his fingers at Trunks. "Pay attention here!" he demanded. "Goku has the idea to travel back and prevent it from happening." Trunks shook his head. "I'm telling you, I already did that!" He was beginning to get frustrated and the weight of this world wasn't helping either. He let a growl escape in his breath.

"King Kai, Trunks and I are going to step outside for a minute." Goku interjected cheerfully. He pushed Trunks outside. "What?!" Trunks growled at him. Goku just stood there with arms crossed; staring at Trunks as if waiting for him to say something. This made Trunks angrier, "What!" he shouted this time. Still, Goku didn't say anything. "What are you expecting me to say here! I demand to know!" Trunks yelled again. This time, Goku chuckled. "You are definitely Vegeta's son. What a hot-head." This made Trunks smile; then he calmed down. Goku continued, "What exactly is your problem? You say you want to find him and we're telling you how to do that and here you are fighting us on it. I'm guessing due to witnessing your tender moment back at the Lookout, you are now in love with her." Trunks looked down at his feet feeling ashamed. Goku walked over to him and put his arm around him. "Trunks. You are you no matter what timeline you're in, at least that is how I understand it. Just a different version of yourself, right?"

Trunks shook his head miserably. "She's not in my timeline. Everyone is gone from there. Everyone. How will she be born if Gohan and Videl don't exist? She simply won't be born and I love her too much now... I don't think I'm capable of letting her go. I need her." Goku smiled. "So she is my granddaughter. I suspected that she and I were related somehow. I could feel my blood running through her." Trunks nodded solemnly. "I'm sure you want to kill me now for touching her." Goku laughed. "I couldn't be happier she chose you ...or any version of you. I think you are a fantastic fighter and I have respect for you. You're part Saiyan and so is she... it makes sense." Trunks felt relieved that he would have Goku's approval. "So, I guess you can take us back to the Lookout. I'll return with her to her timeline then and we'll live happily ever after..." even as he said it, Trunks knew it didn't feel right. He looked at Goku who was looking at him with sadness.

"Trunks, she'll always wonder... I don't think that would be good for her or you. Plus, Cell has somehow messed up all the timelines. Don't you think we should try and fix that?" Trunks agreed. "So when my father and I trained in the Hyperbolic Chamber the first time around it was so we could fight against Cell and not the Androids?" Goku shook his head. "You've mentioned in her timeline that Freiza was able to gather the androids before you destroyed him, that's not how it went down as we know." Trunks knew that they had to try to make things right. "Are you sure you can instant transmission to me in an alternate timeline?" Goku shrugged his shoulders. "It should work. I know your energy so I should be able to follow where you are. Guess we'll find out."


	6. Chapter 6

Trunks reached in and grabbed the handles to pull himself up into the time machine. The gravity was so heavy on King Kai's world he didn't think he'd be able to fly up into it like he normally did. King Kai had already set the coordinates for their trip. Trunks sighed, he might never get to say another word to Pan now, but he knew deep down inside that if he could make her happy by returning her world to her then he would be happy for her… eventually. He pushed the button to close the dome and sat back checking the system as it powered up, readying himself for the trip.

Meanwhile, back at the Lookout, Pan was having fun spending time with her father even though he was just a young boy. Plus it was fun to meet the people he had always talked about while she was growing up; in the back of her mind however, she couldn't stop thinking about Trunks. How he had taken those few steps to reach her; how he had gathered her up into his arms… she shivered. "Are you cold?" Yamcha asked Pan with concern, "I could ask Mr. Popo or Piccolo here to get you a sweater." Pan grinned at Yamcha and glanced over at Piccolo who was frowning at Yamcha. His eyes met hers in a silent question and she shook her head. "I'm fine, really. Sparring with Gohan just wore me out." Everyone laughed. "You certainly held your own against him though." Yamcha told her with admiration in his voice. "Gohan is a force to be reckoned with, you should see him when he gets mad." Krillen added. She grinned back at him knowingly. "I know what you mean." Everyone looked at her questioningly, "What?" Gohan asked her. Everyone was silent waiting for an explanation. Pan stood up… "I'm sorry…I… er… I'm going to go rest in my room. Thanks for the workout guys!" Pan rushed away as the remaining party looked at each other confused. Piccolo went off alone and crossed his legs, preparing to meditate. The others headed toward the Lookout's kitchen.

The trip to the past didn't take as long as Trunks would have liked. He landed outside of West City. He flew out of his time machine and closed it up. He looked around for Goku, hoping that he was right in his assumption that he could follow Trunks' energy to the past. He scanned the area, not sensing Goku. He decided to start his trek toward Capsule Corporation alone, choosing to walk rather than fly so that he would have time to think. Part of him was happy for his counterparts. Trunks of Goku's time would be growing up with a mother AND a father in a world that the androids hadn't destroyed. He would most likely grow up and fall in love with Pan then live happily ever after with her. Plus, Future Pan's Trunks just might be saved and thus be able to return to her so they can live happily ever after. _Where the hell is my happily ever after? _Trunks thought to himself bitterly. He had only walked about seven miles when he felt a strong energy coming toward him. He smiled as it reached him, "Glad you could make it, Goku." Goku dropped down beside him. "I almost didn't." He grinned. "It wasn't as easy as I had originally thought it would be." Goku searched the horizon toward West City, "Any particular reason you aren't flying into town?" Trunks shrugged his shoulders, "Wanted to walk and think." Goku nodded in understanding. "All right then," he powered up, "let's go." And shot up into the sky. Trunks powered up and followed.

Pan fell back on to her bed. "Ugh!" she said out loud to no one. She turned to her side and drew her legs up into her chest. She closed her eyes and tried to think about Trunks, the one she grew up knowing, the one she had pledged her undying love to before he left her in charge of the world. But try as she might, all the images turned into Trunks; the one she ran to and kissed, thinking he'd return to her, the one she had leaned into while travelling in the time machine, and the one who had kissed her more passionately than she had ever been kissed in her whole life. She opened her eyes wide, she suddenly felt like she had to find him and Goku… something was definitely wrong. She jumped up and went to look for Kami.

She found him inside an empty room that had a pedestal in the center. Kami was standing over the pedestal. "Welcome little one," Kami spoke to her without turning around to look at her. "How can I help you?" Pan smiled and approached him. She looked into the glass case on the pedestal. There was a beautiful plush purple pillow and on it were seven bright orange orbs with stars on them. "Wow," Pan breathed, "these are amazing." She whispered. Kami smiled at her. "These are the dragon balls." Pan looked at him, waiting for him to further explain. Kami raised an eyebrow at her, "You are unaware of the dragon balls and what they can do?" Pan nodded. "Hmmm…" Kami turned around and began to walk out of the room. Pan took one last look at the dragon balls and then proceeded to follow Kami somehow knowing that he knew exactly how to help her.


	7. Chapter 7

Trunks and Goku were up on the roof of a dilapidated building looking down on Trunks hugging Bulma good-bye beside his time machine. They could also see a few blocks further down, a creature known as Cell, was inching his way closer and closer to the pair. Trunks and Goku looked at each other. "You want Cell while I go grab Trunks?" Goku offered. Trunks laughed, "Thanks Goku, I know you want the same thing!" Goku laughed, "Hey, I figured it's your fight, however, if you'd like for me to intervene, I'd be more than happy to do so." Trunks laughed. "I've never backed down from a fight, but thanks for the back up." Trunks flew off toward Cell. Goku waited a few minutes before dropping down to the unsuspecting Bulma and Trunks.

As soon as Trunks landed in front of a surprised Cell, he felt the two new extremely powerful energies. Before he could turn around, he felt like a lightning bolt had shot through him and fell to the ground. He tried to call out to Goku in warning but was met instead with another zap of pain. Then everything went silent and dark.

He could see her. Her smile, her long black hair, the intellect in her eyes. He could feel the strength in her energy. She was waiting for him. He was struggling to reach her because he could see that she was struggling to wait for him. He felt angst, desire and joy… most of all when he looked at her, he felt love. It was that feeling that gave him the strength and endurance to continue with struggling in order to reach her. Every time he felt like he was getting closer to her, it seemed as if she was further away and her resolve was weakening. No! He would be strong enough for the both of them.

"Trunks….Trunks, wake up. Trunks! Please don't be dead… Trunks!" Trunks could hear his mother calling him… he struggled to open his eyes but they were heavy. His whole body felt heavy and weak. "Trunks, oh thank goodness! He's moving, he's moving! He's alive!" He heard his mother talking and wondered who she was talking to and where he was… but the silence and the darkness crept over him once more.

She was closer now, smiling at him. Her long black hair flowing all around her as she floated close by him. If he could just reach her, they would be safe. If he could just kiss her, one more time, he would win. The more he strained to communicate with her the more she faded away… _Come back to me!_ _Please come to me!_ He mentally called out to her as she continued to smile, float and fade.

"Trunks! Trunks! Can you hear me?" Trunks smiled internally. Goku could ask the funniest questions sometimes, of course he could hear him; he just couldn't respond to him… still he struggled with the heaviness and weakness. He felt calm due to the fact the heaviness and weakness was a little less than what it had been before when he heard his mother calling for him. "Trunks, you need to try hard to regain consciousness. Focus, Trunks, focus on using your ki to heal the parts of your body that are struggling." Again, Trunks smiled internally. Why hadn't he thought of doing this before? He made a mental note to do just that after he submitted to the darkness once more looking for her.

Sunlight danced on Trunks face, feeling the warmth and brightness, Trunks eyes fluttered open. Bulma gasped while Goku grinned. "Trunks!" Bulma began, but Goku interrupted, "I think we better give him a minute, Bulma, he was hit pretty hard don't you think?" Bulma agreed and remained quiet. Trunks let his eyes adjust to the light, with a soft groan he tried to sit upright. To his surprise he found that he was cuffed to the floor. His instinct was to power up and break his restraints but he neither had the energy to do so nor the desire at this point. He moved his head around to take in his environment. "Where am I?" he asked his voice raspy and weak. "Oh Trunks! Thank heavens you're alive! I thought we had lost you!" Bulma cried softly to him. "Mom," Trunks offered her a smile. "What timeline am I in? Am I home?" Bulma nodded to him, letting tears slide down her cheeks. "Wow!" Goku grinned at him, "you really can take a beating! I am impressed with how much it took to bring you down." Trunks chuckled and then quickly groaned from the pain in his sides. "If I'm home, how are you here, Goku?" Trunks asked. "Well, you and I were on a mission that didn't go quite as planned, actually, we were ambushed." Trunks lay there quietly taking this information in and trying to remember what had happened. His head was pounding and his heart felt heavy and weak, not to mention he was ravenous.

Suddenly he heard chains rattling and a commotion from somewhere behind him. "Stay calm." Goku ordered. Bulma whispered, "What are they going to do to us?"


End file.
